1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a roller for forming noodles and the like, and in particular, to a roller used in a forming apparatus for making such noodles as Japanese noodles, Chinese noodles or buckwheat noodles, dumpling dough, wonton dough, or wheat-based dough (hereinafter “noodles and the like”).
2. Description of the Related Art
A roller for forming noodles and the like is generally used when forming wheat-based noodle dough, which is made by mixing and beating wheat flour, salt, water, etc., into a sheet-shaped material, or a noodle sheet. The thickness of a noodle sheet is sequentially modified into a predetermined thickness in the course of the forming process.
The forming process mainly comprises three specific stages: an initial stage, or a rough noodle sheet forming process; a middle stage, or a multistage rolling process; and a last stage, or a finishing process. The surface roughness of the rollers used in each stage varies according to the characteristics of the corresponding stage. Thus, the roller surface is rough for the rough noodle sheet forming process, while the roller surface is fine for the finishing process.
In the forming process, especially in a rolling process, it should be understood that rollers are in contact with a noodle sheet. Moreover, a certain part of the noodle sheet is pressed by the roller surface during the rolling process, wherein the pressure applied to the noodle sheet depends mainly on the pressing force applied to the roller and the rolling velocity. Therefore, when used in the rolling process, some deposits from the noodle sheet typically adhere to the roller surface according to the pressing force and the rolling velocity.
Such deposits (hereinafter “noodle scraps”) are conventionally removed from the roller with a scraper blade, which is made of material softer than the roller and is lightly abutted on the corresponding roller surface. The scraper blade scrapes off the noodle scraps while the roller is rolling during the noodle sheet forming process.
However, although the scraper blade effectively removes noodle scraps from the roller surface, it produces powder-like wastes when scraping the roller surface as well as a mass of noodle scraps built-up on the edge of the scraper blade. The powder-like wastes or the built-up noodle scraps may fall as contaminants onto the noodle sheet before or after the forming process. It should be noted that such contaminants degrade the noodle sheet quality and the contaminated noodle sheet is useless as a product. In addition, in the case where a strong abutment is provided between the scraper blade and the roller surface, the scraper blade may scratch the roller surface with time even if the scraper blade is softer than the roller surface. This may lead to salt corrosion on the roller surface, especially when a noodle sheet containing salt is processed. Otherwise, the scratched roller surface may cause the noodle sheet to be rough-surfaced, which results in urging the noodle sheet to more easily adhere to the roller. At the same time, there may happen other problems undesirable to the product quality of the noodle sheet.
In order to solve the aforementioned problems, it is well-known to coat the roller surface with fluoropolymer. The fluoropolymer roller surface is adhesive-releasing and prevents a noodle sheet from adhering thereto. This may allow the scraper blade to be removed.
However, the effectiveness of fluoropolymer coating does not last long, which is one of the main characteristics of fluoropolymer coating. Specifically, the fluoropolymer coating is easily worn out or peeled away from the roller surface. Thus, it is not preferable to employ such fluoropolymer coating for a noodle sheet forming apparatus that will need to be in service for many years.
Contrarily, when used in the aforementioned rough noodle sheet forming process, the fluoropolymer roller surface is too slippery. The rough noodle sheet forming process requires a certain frictional resistance for advancing a noodle sheet forward.